How bamboo can boost Nigeria’s economy, combat climate change

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Recent discoveries have revealed that,  bamboo has enormous potential to enhance economic growth and combat climate change.

Interestingly, Nigeria’s government has outlined measures to tap in to the new world changing economic opportunities.

Founding Director of the Sahelian Institute for Bamboo Research and Entrepreneurship Development (SIBRED), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, John Agbo Ogbodo,said the  Federal Government of Nigeria and his Institute is giving bamboo its pride of place in the country.

Ogbodo, is also a Forestry and Remote Sensing Expert, member of the Africa Research, Innovation and Development (AFRID) Network of the Association of African Universities (AAU) Ghana.

He  described  bamboo as a multipurpose, renewable resource that is sustainable and offers a lot of advantages including absorbing carbon emissions and providing raw materials for sustainable industries.

“It also helps to slow down the rate of climate change on a global scale”.

He said during the Climate Change Conference

(COP-28) in 2023, concluded that green economy initiatives might bring in up to $26 trillion for nations around the world if successfully integrated into their agenda 2030 plans.

“The International Network on Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) states that bamboo is an essential component of the green economy”.

The bamboo expert  explained that Nigeria is a home to bamboo and it has a value chain of economically feasible for Nigeria, as the plant natural grows in many states of the country.

He said within the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Anambra State, SIBRED has acquired a bamboo research farm to test the propagation of several bamboo species through the establishment of bamboo nurseries and plantation.

“ Literally, one hectare of bamboo plantation can slow down the rate of climate change by storing roughly 17 tons of CO2 annually and creating 35 percent more oxygen (fresh air) than terrestrial forests. We have received 4,000 assorted bamboo seeds from Yunnan Bamboo Nursery in China, for trials at the Research farm”.

Speaking on the benefits of bamboo  through his institute to the country,”

Ogbodo said SIBRED, being the first University-based Centre of Excellence focusing on bamboo and rattan in Africa, the institute aims  at entrepreneurial skills of young men and women in 16 Central and West African countries.

“ SIBRED officially took off in September 2023  offer certificates, MSc, and PhD courses that can help advance policy advocacy, entrepreneurship education, green economy, bamboo energy, and institutional building”. “Therefore, through knowledge impartation, SIBRED will ultimately contribute to reducing youth unemployment and promoting value addition and cutting-edge technology in the bamboo and rattan subsectors of Nigeria”.

Similarly, the Director spoke on how relevant bamboo is to the restoration of damaged ecosystem and deforestation.

He revealed that  bamboos are able to replenish arable soil by reclaiming erosion gullies.

“This is why experts are researching on bamboo propagation at SIBRED in UNIZIK using bamboo seeds from China and culms from native bamboos in the Southeast Region. Although, we are at the initial stage of the research, we have started doing some advocacy on bamboo for ecosystem restoration, even at the level of the National Council on Environment”.

He disclosed that, “bamboo also promotes what I technically call “avoided tropical deforestation”. It  is among the fastest growing plants on earth.

“ It may grow 91 centimeters (i.e. an equivalent of size of the three (3) yellow rulers), in a single day. As such, bamboo is a highly renewable natural resource. For the fact that bamboo can be harvested and used more frequently, it eases the burden on other native wood species such as mahogany, obeche, Iroko, and so on which grow more slowly”.

He also give more insight on the economic benefits of bamboo saying that bamboo has a wide range of applications that can boost national economic development index and create job opportunities.

“Also, another benefit is that humans consume bamboo shoots because they are palatable and healthy. Bamboo can be used to construct houses, furniture, flooring, and scaffolding. Bamboo can be burnt to make charcoal or biofuel or be processed into firewood. Soft, long-lasting, and environmentally friendly clothes and textiles can be made from bamboo fibers.

“ We are currently working with the Department of Forestry and Wildlife at UNIZIK to conduct a confirmatory experiment on the potential of native bamboo materials in particle board production and the potential of bamboo leaves as a source of fodder for goats, sheep, and cows.”

Furthermore, he said the federal government is fully involved in popularizing cultivation of bamboo and encouraging Nigerians to make use of it.

He noted that SIBRED will help to give top-notch services to support the aims and objectives of Federal Ministry of Environment and that of the Nigeria’s Honorable Minister of Environment chairs SIBRED’s Advisory Board while the Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University is the co-Chair.

“Last month, SIBRED in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Environment Abuja, the International Network of Universities and Research Centers related to bamboo with headquarters in Ecuador and the Global Centre for Bamboo and Other Non-Timber Forest Products Promotion (GFSRD), India, jointly organized the first Sahelian Africa Congress on Bamboo and Rattan (SACOBAR2024) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra State”, he stated.

He said that” In 2004, Nigeria has been a member nation of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR).

“Also, the Federal Ministry of Environment organized World Bamboo Day in December 2023 for the first time. At the event, the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, conveyed Federal government’s commitment to advancing sustainable bamboo value chain development in Nigeria.

“His statement is a renewed hope for the bamboo stakeholders, the Nigerian bamboo subsector and the fight against climate change. In order to enhance the production of toothpicks and other products, he said the Federal Government plans to construct the first bamboo processing facility in Karara, Kogi State”.

Ogobodo also provided a comparative analysis of the bamboo utilization rate in the African and Asian continents.

“According to statistics, China is the top Asian nation with a GDP of over $60 billion, derived from trade and skill development in value chains centered around rattan and bamboo. Significant progress has also been achieved in the use of bamboo by Indonesia and India.

“Although African countries produce a large amount of handcrafted bamboo-based products, they are not as advanced as China when it comes to manufacturing standard bamboo commodities.

“However, the majority of African countries, in particular, stand to gain economically from the following bamboo-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Bamboos can contribute to attaining sustainable industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG-9) through green jobs and manpower creations (SDG-7) that can support sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG-12) carbon dioxide removal (CDR) (SDG-13), promote avoided tropical deforestation to boost forest biodiversity (SDG-15), bamboo-based agroforestry production and  bamboo foliage production for agro-pastoralism that can reduce herder-farmers crises (SDG-2), and SDG-6 (bamboo for flood management), SDG-1 through creation of green jobs and partnership for the goals (SDG-17).

“Additionally, the bamboo forestry and commodities could help African countries to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets of the Paris Agreement. Some companies have substituted wood and plastics with bamboo as raw materials and have found it sustainable and useful in conserving environment resources.”

Speaking on collaboration with private sector, NGOs, communities and individuals, he maintained that “I am collaborating with the Anambra State Erosion and Watershed Climate Change Agency (ANSEWCCA) as a United Nations Ecosystems Restoration Academy alumnus through my non-profit, STEi Foundation.

“We intend to work together to rehabilitate erosion locations in Anambra State using bamboo”.

He emphasized that promoting bamboo farming as a means of bolstering Nigeria’s economy is one of the priorities of the Bamboo and Rattan Farmers Association of Nigeria (BARFAN), which is headed nationally by Chief John Ajie Ogwu. “However, stakeholders do not have to function autonomously. NGOs and communities need to engage with the government to make sure bamboo in the green economy meets its high goals.”

According to him, an international board member of INBAR

Mrs. Diana Doheny is helping SIBRED connect with development partners as a member of the Institute’s Advisory Board. “This will enable the recently established Institute to look into the potentials uses of native bamboo species in climate change mitigation and adaptation research, especially through the application of bamboo-based agroforestry models. Given that rattan and bamboo are forest resources. “

He affirmed SIBRED’s readiness to partner with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja, to support the development of policies and other initiatives needed by the Federal Department of Forestry within that Ministry.

Meanwhile, John Agbo Ogbodo,is a Pioneer Fellow on Renewable Natural Resources at AFRID Network and one of the two experts representing Nigeria on the Global Taskforce on Sustainable Bamboo Management (TFSBM), under the auspices of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization’s (INBAR), China.